Why '50 Shades Of Grey' Is Good For Women

04/17/2012 04:43 pm ET

BuzzFeed

It finally has the world talking about female sexual desires. Shift's Amy Odell and Anna North discuss the latest critique of the book in the new issue of “Newsweek.”

Amy: So people are getting upset about this cover story by Kate Roiphe in "Newsweek" about what sexually submissive fictional characters in pop culture say about our times. Like, the protagonist in "50 Shades of Grey" and Hanna in "Girls."Amy: To me it's like, yes, women fantasize about sexual submission. Yes, that was a theme of "50 Shades of Grey."
But it's not news or a new cultural trend.Anna: Yeah it's not new, nor is anyone worrying about it.
I mean, I do think that pop culture and also porn have gotten very good at satisfying the fantasies of men, and have not paid much attention to the sexual fantasies of women.Amy: Yes, agreed.Anna: Much attention has been paid to the consumerist fantasies of women, a la "Sex and the City." Having a giant apartment full of shoes.